The Sheriff of the High Court, along with enforcement agencies from the City of Cape Town and the South African Police Service (SAPS) executed the evictions of those living along the premises of the Castle of Good Hope on Friday.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis welcomed the ‘positive milestone’.
“It is positive for the whole city, positive for this heritage site, and positive for those who were living in indignity at this site for several years. This has been a very visible site of urban decay in recent years, and its clean-up today is an important moment for urban restoration in the city.
“We also appreciate the urgent attention this matter has received in recent months from the custodian of the Castle, the national Department of Public Works and Infrastructure,” Hill-Lewis said.
He said any personal items not claimed when vacating the sites were documented and stored by the City at its Ndabeni storage facility.
City social development professionals assisted the national Department of Public Works by documenting the personal circumstances of each of the unlawful occupants via on-site interviews. Offers of transitional shelter at City Safe Spaces and NGO-run night shelters have been made and remain available, Hill-Lewis said.
He said the Safe Spaces offers social programmes to assist people off the streets sustainably, reintegrate them into society, and reunite them with family. Personal development planning and employment opportunities are made available, as are referrals for mental health, medical, and substance abuse treatment.
“The unlawful occupation began during the national lockdown, and we are relieved it has come to an end, not only because of the Castle’s tourism and economic importance but also for the sake of the unlawful occupants. Accepting social assistance to get off the streets is the best choice for dignity, health, and wellbeing. No person has the right to reserve a public space as exclusively theirs, while indefinitely refusing all offers of shelter and social assistance,” Hill-Lewis said.
“The City has been pushing for more than two years for the owner of the site to take responsibility for it. We are grateful to Minister Dean Macpherson for showing leadership and getting his Department to act as the land custodian for the Castle precinct,” Hill-Lewis said.
Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean MacPherson welcomed the eviction.
“These individuals were given until October 17 by the high court to vacate the property and they had until today refused to do so. This is despite support services being offered by the City of Cape Town which include accommodation, a warm meal, and social services.
“It is important to note, that no individual has the right to occupy public land and claim it as their own. This eviction order was necessitated after the property had become overwhelmed with residents residing on it illegally which caused the Castle to see a significant decline in tourist numbers,” Macpherson said.
He said this site also saw criminal elements moving in.
“We welcome the work being done by City of Cape Town and the Sheriff to ensure that these evictions are done in as peaceful a manner as possible. The option remains open to those individuals to seek assistance through the City of Cape Town. This is a move the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure is determined to see take place across all illegally occupied land and buildings that is under custodianship so they are able to be used for public good,” MacPherson said.
In August, the City completed all processes related to the final eviction order obtained for various unlawful occupation sites in the Cape Town CBD along Buitengracht Street, FW De Klerk Boulevard, Foregate Square, taxi rank and Foreshore, Helen Suzman Boulevard, Strand Street, Foreshore/N1, Virginia Avenue and Mill Street Bridge.
Earlier this year, the High Court further granted the City two similar eviction orders in recent months for central Cape Town, at the Green Point Tennis Courts in the vicinity of the Nelson Mandela Boulevard intersection with Hertzog Boulevard, Old Marine Drive, and Christiaan Barnard Bridge.
Hill-Lewis said the City is spending over R220 million in the next three years to expand and operate its Safe Space transitional shelters beyond the current 1,070 beds across the CBD, Bellville, and Durbanville facilities.
He said the City currently operates two Safe Spaces at Culemborg in the east CBD, which offer 510 shelter beds across the facilities, with a new 300-bed Safe Space in Green Point which opened in July 2024. A further facility is on the cards for Muizenberg, with plans for more around the metro. It also runs the Matrix substance abuse treatment programme, with an 83% success rate for clients, addressing a key driver of why people end up on the streets.
“Annually, the City helps around 3,500 individuals with shelter placement or referrals to an array of social services. In 22/23, this amounted to 2,246 shelter placements, 112 family reunifications and reintegrations, 1,124 referrals to social services, and over 880 short-term contractual job opportunities via the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP),” Hill-Lewis said.
